Letter import customs
Those who are currently ordering goods from England will have to dig deeper into their pockets from July 1st. Because the “Brexit” makes shopping on the island expensive.
Since the “Brexit” on January 31, 2021, Great Britain no longer belongs to the EU. Therefore, up to now, you had to submit a customs declaration and pay import sales tax for the import of goods with a value of 22 euros or more. From a goods value of 150 euros per shipment, customs were also due. But now it is even bigger and more expensive.
The following example shows what that means in concrete terms: A Viennese woman orders a special stamp for the wedding of Prince William and Duchess Kate for her mother in a British memorabilia shop for 22 pounds (25 euros). For this, the British retailer charges a shipping fee of 6 pounds. Because the value limit of 22 euros is exceeded, a customs declaration must be made, for which DHL charges a processing fee of 6 euros (including VAT). Customs do not have to be paid (value below 150 euros), but import sales tax of 6.08 euros does. The price for the 25 euro special stamp for the Viennese “all inclusive” is 44.38 euros.
The exemption limit of 22 euros will drop from July 1, 2021. This means that a customs declaration must be submitted and import sales tax paid for all consignments from third countries that are imported into the EU, regardless of the value of the goods. The customs regulations for goods over 150 euros, however, will not change.
“With the abolition of the tax exemption limit, a longstanding disadvantage for domestic traders will be eliminated,” explains Finance Minister Gernot Blümel. A striking number of parcels with a value of less than 22 euros have already been sent, especially from Asia, or declared as gifts with a low value.
This is why Swiss Post is now working closely with customs and writing to the recipient for items with suspiciously low values in order to inquire about the price actually paid. In 9 out of 10 cases it turned out that the value of the shipment was too low. The recipients had to pay the import sales tax.
A separate “Brexit” section on the Ministry of Finance's website also provides information on questions about transitional rules, processes and returns.
